About

Vision

A world where gender-balanced leadership in diplomacy, foreign-policy, and policy-making drives equitable and transformative policies for all.

Mission

To advance women’s representation in diplomacy, foreign-policy, and policy-making, fostering diverse leadership to enhance legitimacy, effectiveness, and inclusivity in global policy making.

Objectives

The project has two strategic objectives:

1) To address the issue of women’s underrepresentation in diplomacy and foreign policy, particularly in senior positions.

The project addresses the issue of misrepresentation / underrepresentation of women in diplomacy and foreign policy by understanding the obstacles to representation and how they can be overcome. In so doing, it acknowledges the higher barriers facing women from ethnic minority, non-elite and other minority backgrounds. The project aims to accelerate women’s representation in international organisations and national diplomatic services by sharing knowledge and tools to effectively do so, and supporting structural change.

2) To address the lack of gender considerations in foreign policy and policy making

This project further investigates, at both academic and practitioner levels, how policy-making processes can be utilised or reformed so as to produce more gender-sensitive policy outcomes. It seeks to understand the systemic and structural changes that may be required at the policy design and implementation level, with a view of developing a practical guidance on gender mainstreaming and gender-responsiveness in foreign policy.

• Research: We develop research, academic knowledge, and practice/strategy on issues relating to women representation and leadership across diplomacy, international affairs and foreign policy.
• Dialogue: We bring together experts, scholars, and practitioners to advance knowledge, develop innovative solutions, and shape forward-looking perspectives on gender equality in global affairs.
• Collaboration: We build partnerships to promote practical solutions, share research insights, and advance evidence-based recommendations.

The Women in Diplomacy project bridges academia with practice and in doing so, shapes debate and practice on diversity-led leadership and inclusion.

The project leverages LSE IDEAS' convening power to bring together scholars, diplomats, students, and activists to discuss ways to increase women's representation in diplomacy, foreign-policy, and policy-making, and to foster greater consideration of gender issues in diplomacy and foreign policy-making.

The unique contribution the project is making is to build on existing scholarly work not just through further research but through extensive engagement with the practitioner community. The end results will be practical and policy-oriented, with a view to helping to foster change.